The New York Knicks have emerged as a dark horse in the Eastern Conference for the past years. The way this team plays when everyone is clicking and sharing the ball makes this team one of the more feared teams you don’t want to play against. The Knicks were off to a rough start in this new in-season tournament that the NBA has created. The Knicks faced the Milwaukee Bucks in the first game and struggled; it just was not enough to overcome such a dynamic team. To avoid going 0-2, the Knicks would have to come out with a different mindset.

The matchup would be against the Washington Wizards led by point guard Jordan Poole and power forward Kyle Kuzma. The Knicks would be without shooting guards RJ Barrett and Quentin Grimes due to injuries. The Knicks would be reliant on their two stars Julius Randle and Jalen Brunson. That’s exactly what they did as the two of them set the tone for the offense the whole game. Brunson ended up with 32 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists. Randle continued his much-improved play with 22 points, seven rebounds, and 8 assists. The Knicks also got much-needed production from Immanuel Quickley who had 27 points, four assists, and 6 rebounds off the bench.

On the other hand for the Wizards it was not the same production for their two leaders. The lesser of two evils Kuzma had 19 points, four rebounds, and five assists. While Poole struggled ending up with eight points, four assists, and one rebound. The bright spot however was found in Deni Avdija who had 18 points, four rebounds, and two assists.

This game was a much-needed win for the Knicks as it showed that they have to beat the teams they are supposed to beat something that has plagued them for years. For the Wizards it was more disappointing in the team continuity, especially from their leaders on the team. This loss also takes them out of the In-season tournament competition.